Socially Acceptable Insanity
by AJGranger13
Summary: This is for you, K. You help so many people through your audios. This is just a small token to show how much I appreciate what you do and how much you have helped me over these past few weeks. We love you, K. Fanfic made for BeforeKnightFalls Edit: THIS STORY HAS MOVED TO WATTPAD FOR NSFW REASONS. If you want the new link please PM me and I will gladly pass it along!
1. Chapter 1

K's phone vibrated on the table. He pried his eyes away from his computer screen to look at the much smaller one next to him. Lilah's photo stared back up at him as her name glowed. He couldn't help but crack a smile. She always knew when to call. He had been staring at a blank document for what seemed like hours, and he needed a break.

"Hello, Lilah. What's going on?"

"You need to cancel your plans for tonight and tomorrow."

K was taken aback. "I mean, that will be fairly simple since I didn't really have any. Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry."

K could practically hear her smile through the phone. He gave a small sigh of relief.

"Sorry to scare you. I was just asking because I somehow managed to get tomorrow off of work. It's been awhile since we have been able to hang for an entire day. So I need you to pack an overnight bag in case we get lost. You're coming with me, end of discussion. I'll be there in like 10 minutes."

K chuckled and scratched his beard. He figured the time to shave it down was coming near, but he wasn't ready to part with it yet. He chuckled nervously. "Lost? Lilah, where the fuck are we going?"

Lilah mumbled incoherently as something crashed in the background. "Anywhere, K. We are going anywhere but here. I'm going to drive to your place. I'm not even going to come in. You're going to come out to my car, and you are going to get in and we will go. You can even drive."

"But you never —"

"I know I never let you drive my car. But I don't care. And keep the packing to a minimum. Let's just step away from it all for a moment. I don't want you working while we are trying to have some fun."

K knew that was easier said than done. He was constantly working. If he wasn't writing stories, he was recording or editing material for his videos. He barely took any time for himself. And when he did, his mind was usually too full to fully enjoy himself.

"Lilah, I —"

"Just trust me okay?"

K hesitated for a moment, but gave in. "Okay. I trust you".

"Okay. I'll call when I'm close. Be ready dammit."

"Okay, okay I will." Sheesh someone's bossy today. "I'll see you soon then." K smiled. Lilah wasn't demanding very often. But when she was, she meant business. He figured he better pack his bag.

In the year that they had been friends Lilah had never given him a reason not to trust her, and she sounded pretty desperate. But as much as she didn't want him to work, K still stuck his laptop in his bag. What if an idea came to him while they were out? Sometimes things just randomly click. And he had been staring at the screen for at least 2 hours and got nowhere. If an idea struck, he wanted to be able to write it down as soon as he could. It would be much harder to do so if he ended up driving, but surely he could convince her to switch him places just to get it together? With so much on his mind, new story ideas were hard to come by.

Of course Lilah wouldn't be too happy when or if she found out. But if they did end up staying in a hotel, he could claim he brought it solely for the purpose of entertainment. Why sift through shitty hotel channels when you had all the movies and shows you could ever want on a variety of streaming services? But who knows what that girl had planned. She usually had it all written down days in advance. The last few road trips were so carefully thought out with every alternate plan possible. Something must be up for her to be so impulsive. He had just zipped his bag when his phone started buzzing again. It was Lilah. Those 10 minutes went by fast. He threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder as he answered the call.

"I see you decided to drive safely on your way over here?"

"Oh hush. I better see you outside when I get there."

K laughed. As much as it caught him off guard, her spontaneity was contagious. "Okay, okay. I am literally headed out the door as we speak. I have a feeling I don't want to face your wrath today. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Listen, dude. If you ask me that one more time —"

. . .

Even after K jumped into the car, he never got an explanation for the sudden need for an adventure. Lilah seemed to be in a good mood, and he knew if he asked one more time there would be hell to pay, so he just let go and went with it. They sang loudly to the songs they knew at least most of the words to, and talked through the ones they didn't. Lilah started to laugh after what felt like the millionth Disney song. K laughed with her "What's so funny?"

"Nothing. I just love hearing you trying to belt out those heartfelt princess songs."

K gave an expression of mock hurt. "Hey now, you were made well aware of my singing capabilities many road trips ago. Don't start hating now." He smiled as she continued to laugh.

With Lilah in charge of the wheel, they went through mainly small nearby towns at first. She enjoyed coming up with stories about people who resided in them, and K enjoyed listening to them. Every once in a while he would chime in with an idea, but usually he just let her ramble. He loved hearing her ramble. The way she could just switch subjects on a dime could give anyone whiplash. But she always managed to circle back around eventually.

When Lilah got tired of driving, K took control and hopped on the freeway. She had eased him into the idea of a small getaway, and she said that they could just drive. So he did. Neither one of them had any clue as to where they were headed, and it was quite freeing. For 24 hours they had no obligations to their lives at home. Eventually they turned the music down to a whisper, and they just talked. Sometimes they would just play 20 questions, and sometimes they would get more serious. When they got to the deeper topics, K hit her with one of his favorites. "How do you know that you exist?"

"Now what the fuck kind of question is that, K? Are we really going that deep into the universe before I'm too tired to overthink my answer?"

He laughed. "Yes. Now answer the question."

"Alright, alright. Give me a second to think." K stayed silent while she thought about it. "I mean, I guess I know I exist because I feel. And not only that, but I can feel what others do as well. I can feel someone's heartache and grief. I can feel that hurt, and I want so badly to take it from them. Because I have also felt that pain. And I would rather take it as my own than see someone else go through it. Is it one of my biggest downfalls? Absolutely. But when they've had a chance to pass on that grief and pain, I can feel their mood lighten. To see even a small smile that I have helped cause on a crying face. To take away someone's pain, even if only for a moment, is such a powerful feeling. And something that powerful must be real. And if I can feel that power, I must be real too."

He smirked. "See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?"

"Yes. Yes it was. And I had to stop myself before I went into an existential crisis, thank you."

K missed these talks with Lilah. Life kept them both very busy. He worked mainly at night, and she worked during the day. Dinner time was really the only time they had anymore to have more than two minutes to talk. And, by that time, Lilah was usually so exhausted from work that K didn't want to bother her with any problem he may have been facing that day.

He knew Lilah hated it when he did that, but he couldn't help it. He was so used to putting his feelings aside when someone else needed him more. It was just who he was. But K knew that when he finally broke, she would help him pick up the pieces. And he loved her for that.

. . .

They stopped at a beach to watch the sky fill with purples and pinks before the sun finally rested in the waves. Lilah rested her head on his shoulder, and there was a slight breeze in the hair that carried the scent of the water. K realized that he hadn't thought of his blank screen in the last few hours. He hadn't thought of any new stories, but that didn't matter. He was with his favorite person. As long as K was in Lilah's company, his world felt complete.

After the sun had dipped below the horizon, the two decided to look for a hotel in the area. They didn't need anything fancy. Neither one of them had much money and they really just needed a place to crash. K remembered that he had put his laptop in his bag. He slowly came to a stop as she kept moving forward.

"Hey, Lilah?"

"What is it K?"

"So, I have a confession to make."

Lilah stopped walking up the beach and turned her head enough to look at him out of the corner of her eye. "What did you do?"

K nervously placed one hand on the back of his neck and placed the other one in his pocket. "I might have brought my computer along despite the fact you wanted me to leave work behind for the night."

Lilah's curious gaze quickly changed to disappointment before switching to one of empathy. She turned around and started walking back to where K was standing. "You know, I had a feeling you would do that."

"Really?"

"I mean, yeah. You are constantly working. Even when you aren't in front of a computer, I can see the wheels turning in your head. I had half a mind to make you leave it at home." She smiled before continuing. "But I figured it would be way more trouble than it was worth."

K let out a small chuckle before they continued to walk back to the car. "You would've been right about that."

. . .

Eventually they managed to find a hotel. Their room had two beds, but K had convinced Lilah that the only way to properly end the night was with a movie or two, and they each got to pick one. She gave in, but the only way for them both to properly see the screen was to sit side by side on the same bed. In his haste to leave he hadn't thought to pack any cables that might've made streaming the movies easier, but he could settle for using his computer. K decided that he would pick a horror film to start off with. He knew very well that Lilah was not a fan of horror, but he had been trying to change her mind ever since they met. To this point he had not been successful, but he was determined that one day he would be.

By the end of the film, he noticed that day still had yet to come. K looked at her as the credits rolled. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Uh, apparently so because now I'm pretty sure I will have nightmares."

K carefully monitored Lilah's face. She wasn't crying, so that was a step in the right direction. But he couldn't help but laugh. "Wow. That was a tame one too. You really cannot handle the horror can you?"

"Haha. Sure. Go ahead. Revel in my pain and misery. We will see who gets the last laugh. Next time I get to go first, and we will watch the cringiest rom-com that the entertainment world has to offer."

"Why not do that now?"

"Because I need to carefully think about which one is the perfect one. You'll see, and you'll pay."

K snickered. "Well, since you're not up for a revenge movie tonight, what should we watch next? Something lighthearted I assume."

. . .

They settled for Beauty and the Beast. K knew it was one of Lilah's favorites because she always told him how she could relate to Belle so much more than the other princesses. She always had her head in a book. She knew what she wanted out of life and wasn't afraid to fight for it. She was stubborn as hell. But when she cared, she cared deeply. And those were just the few things he loved about her. Little did she know that he identified with the beast himself. It was one thing he never told her. Nobody understood him quite like she did. She could see through and tear down any barrier that he put up between himself and the rest of the world.

He couldn't help but look at her as Belle and Beast glided across the ballroom floor. He noticed how tired her eyes looked. She left straight from work to his place, and it was well past midnight. K knew she was staying up for him. Always putting his needs over her own.

"God, you're beautiful."

The words were out before K had a chance to stop himself.

Lilah's eyes widened as she turned her head to face him. "Wait, what?"

K panicked. "Oh fuck. I said that out loud, didn't I? Shit. I'm sorry. God dammit."

She giggled. "You know, you're pretty damn cute when you're flustered."

"Oh. So you're laughing at _my_ pain now. I see how it is."

They both turned back to the computer screen. Things had gotten awkward really quickly. K hoped Lilah would be too tired to remember the next day.

He was surprised to hear her voice interrupt his thoughts. "Did you really mean that though?"

"What?"

Lilah's voice got quieter. Was that nervousness he heard in her voice? "Do you really think that way about me?"

K felt his cheeks flush red. "Well, I mean, since it's out there now, yeah." He sighed and figured he might as well continue. He had already gotten this far. "I have felt that way for quite some time actually. I was nervous to say anything because I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship. But yes. I believe that you are gorgeous; both inside and out."

"Oh." Lilah looked down at her hands that were linked together in her lap. K had to lean in closer to make sure he could hear her. "I don't know what to say. Except, now I'm curious."

K felt his stomach tighten into a knot. He wasn't sure where she was going with this. "What are you curious about?"

Now she lifted her head up to look at him. Tears were starting to show in her eyes. "I'm wondering how long you've felt that way. Because —," Lilah paused and looked down in her lap again. "Because I want to know if it's been as long as when I first felt the same about you."

K felt his eyes water. This was going much better than he expected. Feelings of nervousness started to turn into excitement. What was a tight not in the pit of his stomach faded to butterflies. "I don't remember exactly when it was, but it was shortly after we had met. Something I said made you laugh, and the way your eyes sparkled was magical. It was at that moment that I fell in love with you, and I've been a mess ever since." By the time he had stopped talking, Lilah's hand was sitting next to his on the bed. It took almost too much effort for him not to grab it. He settled for simply inching closer to her. "What about you?"

Lilah quickly wiped away the tears that had begun to fall before answering. "I think it was about 6 months ago. We were on our Disney getaway. You had taken me on Spaceship Earth in Epcot. The way you rambled on and on about what we were seeing was so passionate. The way your eyes lit up was enough to make anyone swoon. I was so happy that I got to be a part of that. Seeing you get so excited about things brings me so much happiness that I don't know what to do with it all. But what I did know is that I wanted to hang onto that for the rest of my life."

K leaned back against the headboard and ran and a hand through his hair. He couldn't help but grin as he reached out to take Lilah's hand and she let him. "So, you knew all of that, and you said nothing. Why?"

Lilah shrugged and squeezed his hand. "I guess I was also scared. I had never fallen so hard for someone before. I couldn't even begin trying to put it into words. I guess I also didn't want to make our friendship awkward if you didn't feel the same. And I would rather have kept it all inside than risk losing you."

K couldn't take it anymore. He let go of Lilah's hand only to wrap her up in his arms. Tears of joy fell down his face as his fingers played in her hair. She felt so warm and soft as she sank into his chest. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Sure, they would have an occasional hug or rest on the other's shoulder while watching TV, but this was different. There was no holding back. Everything was out in the open. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt whole.

After a minute or two, K let out a small laugh. "See, this is why communication is key."

Lilah turned her face up to look at him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, had we confessed all of these feelings sooner, we could've done a lot more of _this_." K squeezed his arms tighter around her.

Lilah yawned before responding. "You know, you're right. However will we make up for lost time?"

K snickered. "Oh, I'm sure we will find a way. We have a little over 30 minutes left of this movie, but you look pretty tired. Are you sure you're up for it?"

"I cannot leave a movie unfinished K. You know that." She nestled even further into him. "Let's get that fairytale ending, shall we?"

. . .

When the movie ended, they decided that there really was no use for the second bed in the room. K looked forward to being able to share the bed with someone again. Maybe he would finally get the sleep he knew he so desperately needed. And it was all because of a frantic phone call. When they finally laid down to sleep, K scooped Lilah back into his arms to lay on his chest.

"You know," he said while playing with a strand of her hair. "I'm really glad you invited me on your impromptu road trip. I didn't realize just how badly I needed to take a break from it all."

Lilah looked up at him. "Well, I did."

K gave her a puzzled look. "You did?"

"I can tell that something is weighing heavily on your mind. I feel it in your heart too. I figured you could use a distraction from whatever that is, even if it was for only a day."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Well, I figured you would tell me about it whenever you were ready. But if you don't want to get into it and just need to let some of that build-up out, you can do that too. I'm here. You are always there to pick up my pieces. Let me do the same for you."

K felt his eyes start to water once again. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

Lilah lifted her head off his chest and propped herself up with her elbow. She ran her free hand down his cheek, ready to wipe away the fallen tears. "Then don't." She moved up to gently kiss him on the lips. Afterwards she looked at him with those caring eyes he admired so much. "Let it out first. We can sort out the words later."


	2. Chapter 2

Lilah sighed as she finally got the red suitcase to zip shut.

"Do you really need all of that stuff?" asked K. "We are only going away for the weekend."

"I know," Lilah replied as she circled the room to see if she missed anything. "But you have to understand our destination, babe. It's the Midwest, and anything can happen."

K chuckled and ran his hand through his dark hair. It was getting longer and brushing it away only kept it out of his face for about 5 seconds before it fell in his eyes again. "How crazy can the weather get? I mean, I have seen all of the memes and posts that the internet has to offer on the subject, and there's no way it can be that bad."

"Says you," retorted his girlfriend. "You have lived in Florida your entire life. And I know your travel history is quite extensive. Rather impressive, actually. But I can't help notice that my home state is not on the list." Lilah stood on her tiptoes to kiss K on his roughly stubbled cheek. She grinned as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "I distinctly remember one time a few years ago when it rained, snowed, and sleeted all within 15 minutes. And when that was finished, the sun came out. With a rainbow, no less."

K snuck in one last kiss before letting her go to finish his own packing. "Well," he said as she wandered her way into the bathroom. "it still doesn't mean that I need a week's worth of clothes for a two-day visit."

Lilah came out while throwing her travel toothbrush into her blue toiletry bag. "Fine, do what you want. But my parent's house can get pretty cold, so at least pack a hoodie." She stuffed the smaller bag into the front pocket of her stuffed suitcase. She was surprised she managed to get it zipped. Was her packing list slightly overkill? Perhaps. But she was too nervous about introducing K to her family that she didn't really care to notice. "Actually, better make that two hoodies, babe."

He let out a low chuckle as he made his way to the closet to do just that. "Are you saying two just in case I may tragically spill something on the first one, or are you saying that because your bag is too damn full, and you will use any excuse to steal one of my hoodies?" He waited for her to reply, but she stayed silent. "Baby?" Still nothing. K tossed two black hoodies onto the bed and made his way to the bathroom where he found her sitting on the closed toilet seat with her head in her hands.

"Hey, babe. What's wrong?" He went to her and knelt at her level. He brushed her hair out of the way and tried to pry away a shaky hand. She quickly took it away from him, so he settled for placing his own hand on her trembling knee. "Hey, if this was about the hoodie, I was joking. You know you can get to my side of the closet at any time and use them." K frowned as he heard a small sob escape. "Sweetheart tell me what's wrong. Just moments ago, you were running around making sure we had everything ready, but now you're here. What happened? Was it something I said?"

Lilah shook her head no. It was a small movement, and K barely caught it. But after being together for over a year (and best friends before that), he learned how to read even the tiniest of movements. He sighed and placed his other hand on the back of her head to stroke her hair. He leaned close and whispered softly, "Hey, if you won't talk, can you at least look at me so that I know you are listening?" Lilah sniffed through another sob before slowly lowering her hands to reveal her red puffy eyes. K placed a hand on her cheek to wipe the tears away with a steady thumb. She wiped of the other side of her face with the back of her own hand.

"This is about me meeting your parents, isn't it?"

Lilah's only response was a nod. She was still attempting to get her breathing under control.

"Okay. Okay. Take a deep breath. Then once you've got yourself somewhat composed tell me what's going on. I hate to see you like this."

After a minute or two of deep breathing, Lilah let out a big sigh. K stayed where he was on the floor but didn't take his eyes off of his girlfriend for even a millisecond. When it seemed like she had somewhat of a hold on her emotions, he pressed further. "Why are you so anxious about this visit? We have been planning this for at least a month, and this is the first time I have seen you react to it this way."

Lilah closed her eyes. "I know," she said with a slight shake still in her tone. "But I haven't seen my parents in almost a year. And I am so unsure of how they will react."

K looked at her in confusion. "React to what? Me? Did I do something to make them preemptively hate me?" He said the last bit with a chuckle, but the fact that it was a possibility made him that much more anxious himself.

Lilah smiled, but it quickly vanished. "Not really. I mean, moving down here instead by them after school was a last-minute decision they didn't expect. Every time I spoke to them the first few months after, it just seemed like they were struggling to keep the conversation civil. And my life has changed so much since I last saw them, and they weren't there to be a part of it. Not physically anyway."

"But you just talked to your mom on the phone. Hell, we FaceTimed the other day with her together. If something was off, it wasn't noticeable to me."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Well, of course they're civil now. But all that could change when I actually get there. I've had drastic family revisits before. And they usually end with everyone screaming and being pissed at each other. And I really don't want to be the one who has caused something like that." More tears suddenly overflowed, and she put her face back into her cupped hands. K tried to stop her, but she was too quick.

Rather than try to pry her hands away, K stood up, wrapped his arms around her, and carried her back to the bed where he sat with her on his lap, cradled like a child. He chuckled and placed many small kisses all around the places of her face he could access and down her neck. He held her closer and sighed.

"You know, you do this to yourself every time a stressful situation like this comes along." Lilah lowered her hands to object, but K beat her to it. "And before you tell me that you absolutely do not, hear me out. When something like this comes around, you imagine about 500 possible, and even impossible, scenarios in your head. And then you focus on the most horrible and unlikely one, and that is what your brain seems to decide will happen before we even get there." He maneuvered her around so that she was sitting on his lap but was still able to look at him. He placed a hand under her chin so that she couldn't turn away.

"Look. I am not saying that this visit will be completely comfortable with no awkwardness whatsoever. Had I done the same, my parents would not have been happy either. But life happens and must move forward. Yes. It will be awkward as fuck to start out with. But that will pass. Your parents haven't met me in person since we became a couple. They were always busy with work when I called while you visited them while we were still friends. And they haven't been able to come down and visit you themselves. But we didn't elope. We didn't sneak off to have a family and leave them out of it. You made a risky move by moving away. But look where you are now. Lok where _we _are now. High stakes risks have great rewards. And that's where we are. We didn't rob your parents of any huge life changes that they would want to be here for." By this time, Lilah's eyes had dried up. Whether it was because she simply didn't have any left or she was done crying, K wasn't quite sure about. But she stopped crying at least, and that instantly brought a huge weight off his own chest.

"So," Lilah said meekly, "you're telling me that I am overreacting yet again to a situation that hasn't even happened yet."

"Well, as long as you don't smack me for saying so, yes. Yes, you are." K braced himself for an angry remark, or worse yet, a silent glare, but got neither. All of a sudden, her hands were tangled in his hair, and her mouth was pressed against his. He kissed back eagerly. It wasn't the reaction he expected, but he was not going to complain.

After a minute or so, Lilah's grip lightened and they both came up for air. She placed her head into his shoulder, looking up at him as best as she could. "This."

K was confused again. "This, what?"

Lilah smiled, and his heart melted. It was a smile of gratitude that he saw whenever he managed to pull her out of one of her slumps. "This is why I love you. Well, one of the many reasons. You aren't afraid to tell me what's up, even if it means telling me to suck it up and get moving. And you somehow make it comforting as well."

K ran his hand through the silky waves covering her head and pecked her on the cheek. "That's what I'm here for babe. I'm here to make everything better." He smiled; a glint of mischief in his eye. "Even if that means you are kicking and screaming the entire way. Which is not that uncommon." Even Lilah let out a small laugh at that comment.

They cuddled in that position for what seemed like hours. Eventually their breathing had synchronized, and he could feel the tension melting away from Lilah's body. He smiled when he heard a small snore escape from her mouth. _Poor girl. Always working herself up over nothing and making herself completely exhausted. _He kissed her cheek once more and sat her down gently to take the suitcases off the bed. They had a big day of traveling ahead of them over the next few days, and he wanted to be sure that Lilah had plenty of sleep.

After stripping her down to her underwear and tucking her into bed, K finished his own packing so he could join her. He knew that he would have his own level of anxiety that would keep him from a good night's sleep. As much as he tried to calm her worries, they still stayed in the back of his mind. Obviously, her parents would not be his biggest fans. If his daughter had ran off to a completely different state an entire day's drive away with no warning, he would be pretty upset. And then to not see her for over a year other than video chatting would be heartbreaking. But he hoped that, if the roles were flipped, he would be sensible enough to see that his daughter was well cared for and loved. Would it scare the shit out of him? Abso-fucking-lutely. But knowing that she was in safe hands would be enough to start putting him at ease.

But K was not Lilah's father. And he barely knew the man that had raised the girl he loved. What if her parents flipped? What if they wanted K out of the picture? Would she be willing to toss him to the side to stick with her family? He was pretty sure she wouldn't, but the thought was still there.

"Babe?" Lilah asked concerned. K didn't realize he had started to cry until he heard her. He wanted to quickly brush it off as nothing, but she had already seen enough, so he let them flow.

Lilah sighed and wiped his cheek free of the tears. "Is it your turn now?"

K nodded as more tears continued to flow. Nothing would stop them now besides her comfort. Lilah pulled him close and placed his head on her chest, stroking his hair in the process. He didn't have to say a word. She just knew. He didn't know if that meant he was easy to read, or if she was just that good at it. But he wasn't going to complain. Not in this moment, anyway. Eventually, he fell asleep with her hands resting in his hair. He slept soundly knowing that, despite the fact he was supposed to take care of her, she would do the same, if not more for him.


End file.
